Ignition device in gas lighter

ABSTRACT

In a smoker&#39;&#39;s gas lighter wherein a momentary high potential produced by a piezo-electric element is discharged across electrodes and thereby evaporation gas spouting through a nozzle is ignited, one electrode defined by said nozzle and the other electrode making a pair with said one electrode with a spacing therefrom and the nozzle electrode is so formed in a coiled extension that a gas flow path is axially surrounded by said coiled extension. This coiled extension electrode defines a spiral inner wall which is not smooth, so that a flow of spouted gas which would be otherwise smooth is sufficiently disturbed to be diffused in ambient air and thus a sphere of diffusion enclosing said coiled extension electrode therein is established. Furthermore, this coiled extension electrode is adjustable not only with respect to its height but also with respect to the position an outer end of said coiled extension electrode occupies on the circle defined by the spiral. Such as adjustment of the coiled extension electrode enables the direction and the length of a discharge arc developing across said sphere of diffusion to be selected for the easiest ignition.

United States Patent [191 Ishiguro Oct. 30, 1973 IGNITION DEVICE IN GAS LIGHTER [75] Inventor: Nobuo Ishiguro, Tokyo, Japan [73] Assignees: Nobuo Ishigura; Sumio Ishiguro;

Filed: May 26, 1971 Appl. No.: 146,918

Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Edward G. Favors Att0rneySteinberg and Blake [57] ABSTRACT In a smokers gas lighter whereina momentary high potential produced by a piezo-electric element is discharged across electrodes and thereby evaporation gas spouting throughsa nozzle is ignited, one electrode defined by said nozzle and the other electrode making a pair with said one electrode with a spacing therefrom and the nozzle electrode is so formed in a coiled extension that a gas flow path is axially surrounded by said coiled extension. This coiled extension electrode defines a spiral inner wall which is not smooth, so that a flow of spouted gas which would be otherwise smooth is sufficiently disturbed to be diffused in ambient air and thus a sphere of diffusion enclosing said coiled extension electrode therein is established. Furthermore, this coiled extension electrode is adjustable not only with respect to its height but also with respect to the position an outer end ofsaid coiled extension electrode occupies on the circle defined by the spiral. Such as adjustment of the coiled extension electrode enables the direction and the length of a discharge are developing across said sphere of diffusion to be selected for the easiest ignition.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures May 29, 1970 Japan 45/52775 [52] 11.8. C1. 431/266, 239/517 [51] Int. Cl. F23q 2/16 [58] Field of Search 43l/255,'266;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATESv PATENTS 3,698,851 10/1972 Gotu 431/266 3,439,995 4/1969 Hattori et a]. 431/266 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 74,014 11/1944 Czechoslovakia 239/517 18 8 1 17 15 p E x I wi 'l 1 II It I ll 2o PAIENTEDHBISO ms v 3768.960

\NVENTOR CLUIO i h v ATTORNEY g IGNITION DEVICE IN GAS LIGHTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved ignition device in a smokers gas lighter with which the diffusion of an evaporation gas in ambient air and the relative position of discharge electrodes are easily adjustable.

In a smokers gas lighter having an ignition mechanism arranged such that evaporation gas of a liquefied gas used as a fuel source is spouted through a nozzle so as to be directed to a discharge arc and ignited, the reliability of ignition depends upon requirements such as the position and the configuration of a diffusion sphere which is formed by the spouted gas and its ambient air, especially oxygen, and the relative position of the electrodes which controls the discharge direction. A discharge arc developing across the opening of a narrow nozzle through which the gas is spouted under a high pressure of evaporation could not easily ignite said gas. For a higher reliability of ignition, the discharge arc must be formed across the diffusion sphere in which the spouted gas is diffused in its ambient air in a right proportion and preferably across the portion of said diffusion sphere in which the flow rate of the spouted gas is appropriately reduced. There has conventionally been provided a barrier member disposed above the opening of the nozzle in the gas flow path to achieve the effect as above mentioned. Alternatively, there has been also provided a bypass for the nozzle opening so as to facilitate formation of the diffusion sphere in which the spouted gas is diffused in the ambient air. These means, however, have often necessitated formation of a flame with a longer diameter, so that a larger amount of the spouted gas has had to be consumed per unit, time in combustion for a desired height of the flame and, if it is a portable gas lighter, exhaustion of a limited capacity ofa fuel reservoir has been accelerated. Such a portable gas lighter has been inconvenient in that the fuel must be frequently replenished. Generally in a portable gas lighter, therefore, every operation of I ignition should assure effective ignition with a desired height of the flame kept constant and fuel consumption in each combustion should be restrained. It is a construction including a part of the nozzle that defines a burner and a discharge mechanism for ignition to achieve an essential contribution to this end.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, one pole of a piezoelectric element is led via a nozzle to an electrode formed on upper portion of said nozzle in a coiled extension while the other pole of said piezo-electric element is led to the other electrode which is disposed in eccentric relation with said nozzle so that an electricity of high potential produced in said piezo-electric element is discharged across the gap between these two electrodes. The direction andthe length of a discharge are may be adjusted by selecting the length of the coiled extension electrode itself or the position the outer end of said coiled extension electrode occupies on a circle defined by the spiral. Furthermore, this coiled extension electrode surrounds a gas flow path axially extending therethrough along its non-smooth inner wall serving to disturb the gas flow which would be otherwise smooth so that a diffusion sphere enclosing said coiled extension electrode. within which ignition is easily achieved is formed by the part of gas straying out through a spiral gap in said inner wall and diffusing into the ambient air. According to the invention, therefore, such a diffusion sphere within which ignition is easily achieved is formed starting from the position well adjacent to the nozzle opening and requires no member disposed across the gas flow path to facilitate the desired diffusion, so that the diffusion sphere is not laterally enlarged and the flame obtained after ignition is of a relatively short diameter and a desired height.

Thus, one object of this invention is' to form a diffusion sphere in which evaporation gas is diffused in the ambient air in a' proportion favorable for ignition and thereby to assure the ignition with a discharge are produced across the diffusion sphere.

Another object of this invention is to maintain a desired height of flame without enlarging the diameter thereof so that the amount of fuel consumed in every ignition may be reduced and thereby the number of times a portable gas lighter with a limited amount of fuel stored therein is used may be increased.

A further object of this invention is to facilitate adjustment of the direction and the length of a discharge arc with a simplified construction and thereby to assure the ignition.

According to this invention, these objects as set forth above are achieved by an ignition device comprising a nozzle which is in communication with a fuel reservoir storing a liquefied gas therein and is adapted to open a passage through which evaporation gas flows in response to eachigniting operation, an electrode formed in a coiled extension connected to one pole of a piezoelectric element and extending along a path of gas spouted from said nozzle so that said path of gas spouted from the nozzle is surrounded by a spiral inner wall thereof and said electrode formed in a coiled extension is enclosed, when the gas flow passage is opened by the nozzle, by a diffusion sphere in which the evaporation gas is diffused in the ambient air, and the other electrode which is connected to another pole of said piezo-electric element and disposed outside said diffusion sphere formed by the evaporation gas diffused in the ambient air so that a spark discharge occurs during spouting of gas by igniting operation between the former electrode and the latter electrode across said diffusion sphere. In the ignition device arranged as aforementioned according to the present invention, said coiled extension electrode is coiled in a form of a spiral which surrounds the path of spouted gas, so that said coiled extension electrode, even if closely coiled, presents a non-smooth inner wall so far as it comprises a coiled wire having a circular cross section. The flow of spouted gas is disturbed at circumferential part thereof as the spouted gas flows along said non-smooth inner wall, strays out through a close gap of the inner wall under'a pressure difference which is present between inside and outside said non-smooth inner wall and is diffused into the ambient air. Although the diffusion sphere thus 'formed encloses the coiled extension electrode therein, this diffusion sphere is guided by the coiled extension electrode upward without being laterally expanded, so that the diameter of flame which corresponds to the diameter of said diffusion sphere is well kept small. When each winding of the coiled extension electrode defines a moderate gap, said diffusion sphere allows the ambient air and the spouted gas to stray in and out through said moderate gap and provides a sufficient diffusion of the spouted gas into the ambient air.

Outer end of the coiled extension electrode may be subjected to treatment such as cutting off or bending under consideration of the distance from this outer end of the coiled extension electrode to the other electrode disposed outside the diffusion sphere and the direction on which said outer end of the coiled extension electrode alignes with said other electrode for adjustment to obtain the highest reliability of ignition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The present invention will be understood more in detail from reading the description of the preferred embodiments shown by the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view illustrating the ignition device according to the invention together with whole the gas lighter;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a nozzle, a coiled extension electrode spaced from said nozzle and the other electrode making a pair with said coiled extension electrode together with a diffusion sphere formed by evaporation gas and the ambient air;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the relative position of the nozzle, the coiled extension electrode spaced from said nozzle, the other electrode making a pair with said coiled extension electrode and the diffusion sphere formed by evaporation gas and the ambient air and the direction along which a discharge spark is directed from said other electrode to an adjustable outer end of said coiled extension electrode; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating by way of example a combustion section in a case that the spouted gas flow is surrounded by a closely coiled extension electrode according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIGS. 1 to 3 which illustrates a preferred embodiment of this invention, it should be noted that, for convenience of illustration, the spiral pitch and the spiral spacing defined by the coiled extension electrode are made larger than really are. FIG. 4 illustrates an extreme configuration as supposed in one embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerics in the accompanying drawing designate the same parts, respectively. In the embodiment shown by FIGS. '1 to 3, a reference numeric (11) designates a nozzle communicating with a fuel reservoir( 19) filled with'liquefied gas such as butane gas. Between the nozzle(ll) and the fuel reservoir(19) there are interposed a valve(22) serving to control spouting of evaporation gas and a conduit(25) to introduce the evaporation via said valve (22) to the nozzle(ll). The nozzle(ll) is positioned inside a flame opening( 13) provided in a part of a lighter body(l2) so that the flame rises through said flame opening(13) outward. The nozzle(ll) is carried by a support plate( 14) which is disposed inside the lighter body(l2) and an electrode(l7) connected to one pole of a piezo-electric element( 16) is mounted on an insulating side wall( 15) which is, in turn, connected to one side of said support plate(14). A reference numeric (l8) designates a coiled extension electrode which is connected to another pole of said piezoelectric element (16) and coiled so as to surround a flowpath of the evaporation gas spouted from the nozzle(ll). A general manner of electric connection concerning said coiled extension electrode( 18) is such that cathode of the piezoelectric element(l6) is connected to the lighter body(l2) and thereby the nozzle(ll) is electrically connected via the conductive lighter body( 12) and the conductive support plate( 14) mounted on said lighter body( 12) to the conductive nozzle(l 1). As a manner which is more reliable for prevention of an electric shock, the cathode of the piezo-electric element( 16) is directly connected to the coiled extension electrode(l8). A reference numeric (20) designates a member for igniting operation and, in the embodiment as shown, this member serves also as a lid which covers one end of the lighter body(l2). This member(20) is provided with an operation lever(2l) projecting from a part thereof and with a member (26) adapted to strike the piezo-electric element(l6) carried on lower part thereof. When the member( 20) is thrusted into the lighter body(l2), the operation lever(21) moves a lever(23) adapted to open said valve(22) halfway on this stroke of thrusting and thereby the evaporation gas is introduced through the opened valve(22) and the conduit(25) to the nozzle(ll). At the terminal range of said stroke of thrusting of the member(20), the member(26) strikes the piezo-electric element(l6) and a high potential developing in said piezo-electric element( 16) provides a spark discharge across the gap between the electrode(l7) and the coiled extension electrode(18). A reference numeric (24) designates a valve through which the liquefied gas is poured into the fuel reservoir( 19 In the embodiment as shown by FIGS. 1 to 3, the coiled extension electrode(l8) is provided in form of a funnel opening upward for a gentle diffusion of the evaporation gas in the ambient air, but said coiled extension electrode(18) may be provided according to the invention in form of a cylinder as that of the modified embodiment as shown in FIG. 4. The spiral serving to resist the gas flow in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 is provided with a sufficient spacing so that the desired diffusion is effected both by the evaporation gas straying through this spacing out and by the ambient air straying through this spacing in. The diffusion sphere is enclosed by a broken line M and the flame to be formed by the main flow of gas in combustion is enclosed by another broken line F in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the embodiment as shown by FIG. 4, the coiled extension electrode comprises a wire closely coiled so as to present a non-smooth inner wall in form of a cylinder but with a close spacing. A higher pressure develops inside the cylindrical extension electrode( 18) relative to the pressure outside said cylindrical extension electrode(l8) due to the effect of the spouted evaporation gas, so that the gas flow is disturbed at periphery thereof by the non-smooth inner wall of the cylindrically coiled extension electrode(18) and a part thereof, straying through the close spacing out, is diffused into the ambient air. Thus, the diffusion sphere which encloses therein the extension electrode( 18) and tends to rise upward. This diffusion sphere is as defined by the broken line M in FIG. 4. Although the amount of gas that strays out from the closely coiled extension electrode(18) depends upon the pressure under which the evaporation gas is spouted from the nozzle, this amount tends to increase and accordingly the diffusion sphere tends to be enlarged at a higher part of said coiled extension electrode(l8). A broken line F of FIG. 4 also illustrates the flame formed by the main flow of gas in combustion as FIGS. 2 and 3. V

immediately after such a diffusion sphere has been formed by the evaporation gas and the ambient air, the piezo-electric element(l6) is subjected to a shock at the terminal range of the stroke of thrusting of the member() and a high potential produced in said piezo -electric element (16) is discharged from the electrode(l7) as the anode to the coiled extension electrode(l8), principally to the outer end(38) of said coiled extension electrode(18). Although it is obvious that a path of spark discharge S occurs from the electrode(17) to the part of said coiled extension electrode(l8) that is least remote from said electrode(17), it is sure that this spark discharge path S extends across said diffusion sphere. When the ignition by this spark discharge lacks a reliability, the position of said coil end(38) is brought into a desired position by bending said coil end(38) or altering the position at which said coil end(38) iscut off so that, the position said coil end(38) occupies on the circle defined by the spiral is altered and thereby the direction and the length of the spark discharge path S across the electrode(l7) and a spiral inner surface which surrounds said path of gas spouted from the nozzle and said coiled electrode being enclosed beyond said nozzle by a diffusion sphere formed by the evaporation gas and the ambient air when said passage of evaporation gas is opened, and another electrode connected to another pole of the piezo-electric element and disposed adjacent said coiled electrode but outside said diffusion sphere formed by the evaporation gas and the ambient air so that there occurs a'spark discharge between said coiled extension electrode and said other electrode across said diffusion sphere during spouting of gas effected by igniting operation.

2. An ignition device in a gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the coiled extension electrode extending along the path of gas spouted from the nozzle and presenting the spiral inner surface which surrounds said said coil end(38) is adjusted. If the spark discharge passage of evaporation gas in response to operation of ignition, a coiled extension electrode connected to one pole of a piezo-electric element and surrounding and extending freely beyond said nozzle along a path of gas I spouted from said nozzle, said coiled electrode being the only element which surrounds said path beyond said nozzle, so that coiled extension electrode presents path of spouted gas is provided in form of a funnel opening upward.

3i An ignition device in a gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the coiled extension electrode extending along the path of gas spouted from the nozzle and presenting the spiral inner surface which surrounds said path of spouted gas is formed by a closely coiled wire enclosed by a diffusion sphere which is established by evaporation gas straying through a close spacing defined by each spiral winding out and diffused into the ambient air.

4. An ignition device in a gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein said coiled extension electrode terminates distant from said nozzle in a free end oriented with respect to said other electrode to determine the path of a spark across a gap defined between said electrodes. 

1. An ignition device in a gas lighter comprising a nozzle which is in communication with a fuel reservoir storing a liquefied gas therein and adapted to open a passage of evaporation gas in response to operation of ignition, a coiled extension electrode connected to one pole of a piezo-electric element and surrounding and extending freely beyond said nozzle along a path of gas spouted from said nozzle, said coiled electrode being the only element which surrounds said path beyond said nozzle, so that coiled extension electrode presents a spiral inner surface which surrounds said path of gas spouted from the nozzle and said coiled electrode being enclosed beyond said nozzle by a diffusion sphere formed by the evaporation gas and the ambient air when said passage of evaporation gas is opened, and another electrode connected to another pole of the piezo-electric element and disposed adjacent said coiled electrode but outside said diffusion sphere formed by the evaporation gas and the ambient air so that there occurs a spark discharge between said coiled extension electrode and said other electrode across said diffusion sphere during spouting of gas effected by igniting operation.
 2. An ignition device in a gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the coiled extension electrode extending along the path of gas spouted from the nozzle and presenting the spiral inner surface which surrounds said path of spouted gas is provided in form of a funnel opening upward.
 3. An ignition device in a gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the coiled extension electrode extending along the path of gas spouted from the nozzle and presenting the spiral inner surface which surrounds said path of spouted gas is formed by a closely coiled wire enclosed by a diffusion sphere which is established by evaporation gas straying through a close spacing defined by each spiral winding out and diffused into the ambient air.
 4. An ignition device in a gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein said coiled extension electrode terminates distant from said nozzle in a free end oriented with respect to said other electrode to determine the path of a spark across a gap defined between said electrodes. 